University News

RPTA at WIU to host annual Professional Development Conference

March 21, 2022

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MACOMB, IL -- Each spring, the Western Illinois University Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration hosts its Professional Development Conference to provide students opportunities to engage with alumni, industry leaders and faculty, to hone their professional competencies.

The theme of this year's conference is "Connecting Careers and Communities." Students from all majors, and community members, are invited to attend.

This year's virtual conference will take place from 8 a.m.-noon, Friday, April 15, and will start with the presentation of RPTA's student and alumni awards, followed by the keynote speech from Kathy and Kevin Morse, owners of Leisure for Life Indiana, entitled "Building Bridges to your Community."

Kathy is a WIU graduate, with both her B.S. (1996) and M.S. (2009) in RPTA. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) and Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP).

After a distinguished career in both nonprofit and public recreation settings, she now provides recreational therapy services to her clients in northeast Indiana under contract with Indiana's Medicaid waiver program.

Kevin is a nationally certified ADA Coordinator (ADAC) through the University of Missouri, a Certified Inclusivity Assessor through SUNY-Cortland, and a Certified Professional with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM-CP). He works with businesses and organizations in northeast Indiana to assist them with employing people with disabilities. He guides employers through the process of recruiting, hiring, training and retaining people of all abilities.

In addition to the keynote presentation, students will have the opportunity to learn from Colette Marquardt, executive director of the American Camp Association; Ryan Bromberek, of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council; Emily Fritz, New Vision Wilderness Therapy; and, Michael Bradley, Arkansas Tech University.

The conference will end with a mentoring session where students will have the opportunity to engage with alumni from a wide range of leisure industries to learn more about their future careers.

Through engaging sessions and mentorship opportunities, the Professional Development Conference allows students to gain experience in professional networking and learn more about the realities of their chosen careers.

For more information, contact Julie Eggleston at JA-Eggleston@wiu.edu.



Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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